Report: Israel, U.S. to Attack Iranian Bases in Syria

Remnants of rockets reportedly fired by regime forces on the rebel-held, besieged town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region of Syria, in late January. (Hasam Mohamed/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel and the United States are preparing to attack Iranian bases in Syria, a report in a Kuwaiti newspaper said over the weekend. The report in the Al Jarida newspaper said that the attacks would take place if talks between Iranians and French officials, going on this week, would fail. The report quoted American officials as saying that failure of those talks would bring “tragedy” to numerous countries in the Middle East in which Iran is active, especially Syria.

According to the report, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu discussed the plan with President Donald Trump when the two met last week. Netanyahu also discussed the plan with top U.S. defense officials. The plan would include joint Israeli-U.S. actions in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The actions would include direct attacks on Iranian installations in those countries. According to the report, Netanyahu told Trump that according to Israeli assessments, Russia would not come to the aid of Iran.

Israel would supply an exact layout of the bases to be attacked. Part of the plan would be cutting off supply lines and routes that would enable Iranian reinforcements to assist Iranian troops in the bases to be attacked.

The report also said that the United States had been planning an action in Syria as a response to the Syrian army’s recent chemical weapon attack on civilians outside Damascus. It added that there was no direct connection between the Israeli plan and the American intention to attack Syria. The U.S., along with France and Britain, last week warned Syria that if it continued to use chemical weapons, it could expect to be attacked. The Syrian government has denied that it used chemical weapons.